


national boyfriend day

by shindouchrono



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Fluffy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 04:59:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12269391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shindouchrono/pseuds/shindouchrono
Summary: "National Boyfriend day" is coming up. Tokoha and Shion suggest Chrono spend it with Kazuma. There's just one problem. They aren't boyfriends.





	national boyfriend day

It's not like Chrono is unaware that things can fly straight over his head, but this? This made absolutely no sense. He stares blankly down at the message on his phone. Even though they aren't a team anymore, TRY3's group chat is still active. Tokoha sent a sticker of a flower bouquet.  
  
The message read, _Chrono! Next week is National Boyfriend day. What are you going to do with Kazuma?  
_  
Chrono can picture Tokoha's expression, seeing that he's read the message and isn't responding. The gears in his head are turning, slowly. Ever since he’d first met Kazuma, Chrono would talk about him, and Taiyou. All of Striders, really, but that was only natural! They were a team. There had always been something weird.  
  
When Chrono was excitedly recounting his team's practice matches at dinner, Mikuru smiled softly at him and asked when he would be bringing Kazuma over so she could meet him. He simply responded with, "I'll ask when he has time, I guess?" But he felt that his aunt understood his expression of confusion.    
  
Now, he's starting to understand why there were so many comments from people.  
  
Did... Did it seem like he and Kazuma were boyfriends? That they were dating? That Chrono liked Kazuma? ...That Kazuma liked Chrono?  
  
He hastily types out a message in response. _Wait, do people think that he and I are dating? We're not!  
_  
By now, Shion's read his message, too. A couple seconds pass, and Shion sends a winking Altmile. Chrono glares at his screen. _You too? Shion! We're not! I don't even like him like that!  
_  
Tokoha is typing. _Huh? Are you sure you don't?  
_  
Throwing his phone out the window is tempting. _What do you mean, ‘am I sure?’ WHY WOULDN'T I BE SURE?_  
  
Both of them have read the message, but neither of them are making a move to say anything. Frustration bubbles up in Chrono. He presses the call button, turning the volume down as he places the phone next to his ear. His former teammates both pick up.  
  
"I seriously don't."  
  
He can picture his their faces clearly. He imagines them staring at each other, Tokoha with her brow raised, and Shion with an amused smirk. It makes him kind of mad, honestly. He lets out an annoyed sigh.  
  
Shion speaks, keeping his tone gentle and even. "Chrono, you've told us how excited you get when you fight him. You should see yourself talk about him. You go on for hours about how great he is, and how proud of him you are."  
  
"W-Well, it's true! I am proud of him! And it's not like getting excited over a cardfight means I like somebody! It gets my heart racing to fight both of you!"  
  
Tokoha clears her throat. Chrono swallows his spit. He's in for it, now. "Chrono, just admit you like him already! Everyone else can see it, except for you! Be more aware, geez!"  
  
Chrono crosses his arms, though neither of them can see the defensive action. "See what? I doubt he even likes me that way! You're both reading into it too much."  
  
Shion's smile is audible in his words. "It's not just us that think this, Chrono. Nearly everyone who's seen you in the room together was under the impression that you were dating, or at least the fact that you liked each other. You look at each other like you love each other."  
  
Chrono's brain ceases function. He can feel a burning flush on his ears. "I-I seriously think you're just reading into it too much. If I liked him, I would have realized. Probably."  
  
"Have you ever thought about kissing him?" There's the sound of fabric rustling as Tokoha speaks. Chrono figures she probably sat down. "Or holding his hand? Or going on a date with him?"  
  
"I-I mean, no— uh, I-I mean, even if I had, which I haven't, I..." Chrono can't force out the rest of his sentence. Kissing Kazuma. Holding Kazuma's hand. Going on a date, instead of hanging out as friends. A date with actual romantic implications, and Kazuma looking at him with affection in his grey eyes— that everyone else could see. Did Chrono already look at him like that? Has Kazuma ever thought about kissing him? Kazuma's lips did look soft. What about his hands? If they got closer, would Chrono hear Kazuma's heartbeat? Would their warmth melt together? He's too flustered. The sudden thoughts are overwhelming. He doesn't have time to process the words that come out next. "Oh, god. I do like him."  
  
"Chrono, are you okay? You sound like you're about to explode." Shion sounds concerned. Chrono bites his lip to resist the urge to scream. "Chrono?"  
  
"Has Taiyou been trying to set us up the whole time?" He blurts.  
  
Tokoha lets out a barking laugh, and Shion laughs as well. It takes several minutes for their laughter to die down, ignoring Chrono's current crisis. He mumbles angry, unintelligible words at them. "You both suck. All of you suck."  
  
"Don't be so angry, Chrono! I'm sure Taiyou just got tired of you two flirting with each other." Tokoha’s tone gives Chrono the suspicion she knows something that he doesn’t.  
  
"We weren't flirting! I didn't even know we were flirting!" Chrono puts his head in his hands. "Does he know that I like him? Wait, what does liking him even mean? What am I supposed to do? Does he even like me? Why would you know if he likes me?"  
  
Shion coughs. "Slow down, Chrono. One thing at a time." He waits for Chrono to take several deep breaths, and then continues. "Don't you think it was kind of weird he gave me the cold shoulder when we just met? The only thing he knew about me is that we used to be teammates. He was jealous, Chrono. He wouldn't have been jealous if he didn't like you."  
  
"Yeah! You should see how he looks at you when you’re not paying attention. And seriously, do you think he'd put up with you constantly if he didn't like you?"  
  
Chrono furrows his brow at Tokoha's words. "If he liked me, why wouldn't he tell me?" A long, drawn out silence. If Chrono strains his hearing, sounds of life are audible from the areas surrounding his former teammates.  
  
"Does he seem like the shy type, Shion? Or the ‘I'm in love with Chrono and I'm going to deny it’ type? Not to mention, Chrono wouldn't know romantic feelings if they triple crit'd him right in the gut," She jabbed.

"You know, Tokoha, I agree with you. I'm sure Kazuma is well aware of Chrono's density."  
  
Chrono's finger hovers over the ‘end call’ button. "I'm still here, and I'm going to hang up."  
  
The amusement in Shion's voice makes Chrono want to rush over and fight him. "If Chrono hangs up, he can probably call Kazuma to confess his burning love for him."  
  
"That sounds like a great idea! Instead of expressing his love through cardfighting, maybe he could speak his feelings out loud!"  Tokoha responds, brightly.  
  
If his glares could burn holes in his phone, he wouldn't even have a phone left to burn. "Yeah, Chrono's hanging up now." The abrupt disconnecting of the call was hardly satisfying.  
  
But now, silence fills every corner of the room. Chrono flops face down on his bed, burying his face in his pillow. He turns his head, looking at his deck in its case. Striders had planned to meet up later today, so they could fight each other and pick apart their strategies. Truthfully, Chrono was itching for a fight. Tokoha and Shion were both right. Cardfighting was so much easier than speaking aloud. There were a long, long, long number of things that were easier than speaking honestly about his feelings. He pushes himself up, pulling out his chair and taking a seat at his desk.  
  
He'd always tried to fight with his whole heart and soul. And when he didn't, it was painfully obvious. It almost felt like disrespect to his units when he didn't. They could feel and sense his emotions and feelings, and would respond accordingly, wholeheartedly. Okay. He liked Kazuma. It seemed painfully stupid to him that he hadn't realized it before. Wanting to push someone along, to watch them grow, that was a pretty normal feeling. Chrono gently rests his head on his desk. It's cool against his cheek. There was something about Kazuma, something in him, that made Chrono want to see him improve and grow. Something powerful and bright. Something burning so fiercely that he couldn't pull his gaze away--  a feeling that was delicately woven into his heart.  
  
Okay, maybe he liked Kazuma more than he thought. Maybe he's entertaining the thought of pressing his lips to Kazuma's. Just a passing thought. His heart pounds. It's the same feeling when he fights. The same exhilaration. The same drive to move forward, regardless of the consequence. Did Kazuma feel the same?  
  
Chrono jerks upward. How is he even supposed to look Kazuma in the eyes now? How could he fight Kazuma to the best of his ability? Wouldn't his true feelings be present and center stage if they fought? Would everyone turn to look? Had everyone else already realized?  
  
What was he even _supposed_ to do?

In the end, his desire to fight won over. Chrono shuffles his cards, watching Kazuma as he does the same. Taiyou is over talking to Shin. If Chrono remembered correctly, one of Taiyou’s sleeves had ripped, and he needed to replace them.

Actually, Taiyou had suggested time and time again that Chrono and Kazuma go see a movie, or go study together. Alone. Together. Together, alone… Alone, together. Yeah. Chrono’s starting to regret ever asking Tokoha and Shion what they meant. When he finally focuses on real life, and not just his loud thoughts, Kazuma’s eyes are on Chrono. Hell.

“You ready?”

_“Chrono, you've told us how excited you get when you fight him,”_ Tokoha’s words echo in his mind. Excitement? Right now, excitement and anxiety are blurring together. Fight honestly. Don’t let anything hold you back. Don’t hold anything back. Chrono nods, grinning.

“Stand up! Vanguard!”

 

* * *

 

Kazuma leans back in his chair. They’ve played five matches, and Chrono’s won every single one of them. Taiyou sits next to the two, leaning over Chrono’s shoulder to look at the field of the ended match.

“You’re really not letting up today, Chrono-san.” Taiyou smiles. “Did something happen?”

Does he know? Did Shion and Tokoha tell him? No, they wouldn’t have. Or would they?

Chrono cleans up his deck, shrugging. “Not really. Just… Nah, nothing. I guess they’re just in a good mood today?”

Kazuma frowns. “Yeah, and if I got a dollar for each time you pulled a critical on me, I’d have enough to buy us all lunch.”

“You’re buying lunch, then, Kazuma-san?”

“Hell no!”

“Haha, I’m just joking. Lunch does sound good, though. I’m starting to get hungry… What about you, Chrono-san?”

“Nah, I’m okay. I should probably head back. I’ve been putting off cleaning, anyway.” Truthfully, it sounds great.

As Chrono walks away, he can hear Kazuma and Taiyou quietly speaking to each other.

“Is he okay?” Taiyou asks, softly. There’s a short pause.

“I don’t know.” Kazuma replies, blank-faced.

Chrono leaves, the bell of the door ringing as it shuts behind him. He walks with his hands in his pockets, staring up at the sky. Yeah, was kind of a disaster. It’s not like Chrono would know how to act, though. How are you supposed to act around someone you like? What if he accidently drops a hint? Did he want to? Was he supposed to act normally?

Why was he acting any different?

Chrono turns his head, focusing on his reflection in the glass. He looks up. It’s a sign of a bakery. Kazuma didn’t really like sweet things, which was frankly the opposite of Chrono. He had a nasty track record with getting cavities.

National Boyfriend Day. What exactly is there to do for that? Give them a gift? Tell them you love them? Cardfight them a million times over, late into the night?

That last one sounded good.

There was something else that sounded good, too. Smelled good. Chrono opens the door to the bakery. There’s a lot of different types of pastries, and the interior of the place is tastefully decorated. An idea strikes him. He grabs a roll for Mikuru, and a cupcake for himself.  
  


Several days have passed since Chrono visited the bakery. He’s spent more time at home, trying to perfect the recipe he’s decided on. Truthfully, he’s been blowing Team Striders off a little more than he intended to. They planned a meet up later today, so it’d be fine. He’s had several failed batches, and though they turned out good, they weren’t exactly what he was trying to make.

He slips the two bags of treats into his pockets and heads out.

Kazuma and Taiyou are standing and talking when he arrives.

“Hey! Sorry I’m kind of late. I lost track of time.”

Kazuma stares at him, brows lowered. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately, haven’t you. Maybe you should time leap instead.”

Well, okay. Maybe he deserved that.

“That’s harsh, Kazuma-san… though it is true. Chrono-san, are you really okay? You’ve never passed up a chance to cardfight before.”

Chrono reaches into his pocket, pulling out a bag. It’s tied with a ribbon, ensuring the cookies don’t spill out. “I was trying to fix the recipe for these. I kept getting too wrapped up, but I can’t seem to get it right.”

Kazuma’s expression softens. Somewhat.

“Can we try them?!” Taiyou asks excitedly. Chrono nods in response. “Kazuma, can I talk to you later? Just us?”

Taiyou watches out of the corner of his eye. Kazuma has his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

“...Whatever.”

“Chrono-san, these are really good! They’re not very sweet though, so I guess you really are trying something new!”

He sighs with relief. “I’m glad you like them. Every other batch has been completely flavorless.” Also, he and Mikuru had gotten tired of eating the bland cookies. It was awful. Since Taiyou liked them, though, there had to be some hope.

“...You don’t normally make things that aren’t sweet.” Kazuma watches Chrono carefully, who hesitantly rubs the back of his neck. It’s true, he doesn’t. It’s because sweet things just taste better to him.

But Kazuma wasn’t too fond of them. It’d be a silly gift if the recipient didn’t like it.  

“That’s why it took so long. Sorry.”

Kazuma turns away. “It’s fine, then. Let’s go.” He starts walking, and Chrono turns to look at Taiyou.

They both smile.

 

* * *

 

“So, Shindou, what did you want to talk about?” Kazuma sits across from Chrono, whose gaze is fixated on the table. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the gift for Kazuma. It’s wrapped with a blue bow.

“I made these for you.”

Kazuma blinks. He takes the bag from Chrono. It’s the same cookies as before, but decorated with little Luards. Those were easier to make than the actual cookie. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Chrono could swear he saw the other boy’s cheeks flush.

“So… why did you make them?” Kazuma’s gaze was intense, almost like he was expecting something.

“I… Well, Shion and Tokoha texted me, and it ended up like this.” Wow, this whole talking about his feelings thing really _is_ going perfectly! “I-I mean, hold on, let me try and explain better. I, uh, I made these, because…”

This is going great.

“Must have been pretty important for you to ignore us.”

This is going _fantastic!_

“I like you, Kazuma.”

Kazuma went slack-jawed. Chrono can feel his ears burning. This is probably, actually, the worst idea he’s ever had, ever. Wow. But… this is what he wanted. Even if everyone else was wrong, and Kazuma didn’t feel the same way, he wanted Kazuma to know.

“They messaged me, teasing me, about… National Boyfriend day, or whatever, and then I… kind of… realized I liked you? And I wasn’t really sure how I should act, or react… Or even look at you. I don’t think talking about my feelings is my strong suit, so I… I did this, instead.” Chrono looks back up at Kazuma, and… “Kazuma, are you… crying?”

“No.” He most definitely was crying. “You started acting weird, so I thought you had finally realized that I liked you, and you were avoiding me because you didn’t like me, or you thought it was weird, or something.” Tears are rolling down his cheeks. Chrono stands up, and moves towards him, wrapping his arms tightly around Kazuma. “They have little Luards on them…”

“It’s kind of lame, huh?”

“And you made them so I would like them, you… You…” Kazuma buries his face in Chrono’s shoulder, smiling. “It is lame. You’re lame.”

“Oh.”

Kazuma lifts his head, gazing into Chrono’s bright eyes. “I like you, too.”

Chrono’s assumption was right. Kazuma’s lips really were soft.

 

“So, National Boyfriend day?” Kazuma asks, suddenly. Chrono tilts his head to look up at Kazuma. He’s resting his head on Kazuma’s shoulder. “Does that even exist?”

“I… Maybe?”

Kazuma snorts. “Hey, Shindou.”

“Yeah?”

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

Chrono sits up, staring at Kazuma with an expression of shock. “Hold on! I put all this time into preparing and you’re the one who asks!?”

Kazuma has a smug smile.

“Of course I will.” Chrono pulls his deck out of his pocket. “If you put up a good fight.”

The empty bag of cookies sits on the table. The blue ribbon has been tied in a small bow, resting on top of the bag. There’s a small note and a scribbled drawing of Chronojet and Luard. It reads, in Chrono’s messy handwriting, _“Let’s stride towards the future together.”_ Kazuma shuffles his cards, and they grin at each other.

“Stand up! Vanguard!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> UGHGEGEGFGHGGH KAZUCHROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
> Anyways, now that I got that little bit out of my system - I hope you enjoyed this fic! Thank you to my lovely beta as always, for putting up with my absolute nonsense. I love you!  
> I hope you all have a good day, thank you for reading, and as always if you'd like to come scream with me about CFV, my twitter is @grimealcultist


End file.
